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Patented 1m Vv26 rasa. G, A. WEBER. y INSULATED RAIL JOINT.`

(Application filed Nov. 5? 1897.)

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Miren @rains enonen A; WEBER, oFNnw YORK, N. Y.

lNSULATED RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part OfLetterS Patent N O. 608,088, `dated July 26, 1898. Application filed November 5, 1897. Serial No. 657,585. (No mode'hl .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WEBER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Insulated Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

It is desirable oftentimes, where a car-rail is used as a part of an electric circuit, that the rail should be thoroughly and effectually insulated from the adjacent rail.

The present invention relates to means for connecting the contiguous ends of car-rails, by the use of which not only does a rm and securej oint result, but, additionally,thorou gh insulation exists between the connected rails.

I will describe a rail-joint in whose construction there are embodied the features of my improvement and then point out the novel features in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a cross-section of a car-rail adjacent to the extremity thereof, taken through line @c a: of Fig. 2, and illustrates a construction for connecting the rail with the adjacent rail which embodies my improvement. Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the rail-joint shown in section in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing a slight modification.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all figures.

A A designate two contiguous rails whose adjacent ends are to be joined to each other to form a portion of the track, but in a manner to insulate the one from the other.

B is arail-chair of appropriate design, forming the support for the ends of the rails. It here comprises a horizontal lower or bearing plate h and an upwardly-extending integral bolt-supporting plate b.` The point common to the plates is enlarged, as shown at b2, for` strengthening purposes and to facilitate the securing of the chair.

The rails A A do not rest directly upon the bearing-plate h, but upon aninterposed strip (l of insulating material, which may be extended upwardly a short distance along the surface of the plate h or may extend to a point near the top of said plate, as shown in Fig. 3.

D D are shplates `provided with projections d, said fish-plates extending` for a lthe passage of bolts D.

short distance along each rail and secured by bolts D and nuts d, passing through suitable openings in the webs of the rails, the shplates D D, and the plate b of the rail-chair.

The chair B is provided with openings for In these openings are seated two packing washers or thimbles b3 b4, one of which, b4, is of insulating material, which form packing-rin gs for and insulate the heads of bolts D D from the chairB.

F F are two pieces of packing material, as

wood, extending on each side of the rail a distance corresponding to the length of the fish-plate through which the bolts pass, forming a cushioning packing for the joint.

The abnttingfaces of the rails may be inv sulated from each other simply by an airspace, if so desired. More positive insulating means may, however, be used, consistn ing of a plate G of insulating material, agreeingdesirably, with the cross-sectional outline of the rail and interposed between the two abutting surfaces.

Having described myinvention, what I consider as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. An insulated rail-joint, comprising a rail-chair for supporting the contiguous ends of rail-sections having a bolt-supporting plate at one edge thereof, insulating material between thef'ends and said plate, said insulation extending to or near the top of the boltsupporting plate and conforming to the angle of the rail-chair, insulated blocks on each side of the rail-sections, a bolt or bolts ex tending through the insulating-blocks, rail, insulation and bolt-supporting plate, and an insulation for the end of the bolt passing through the bolt-supporting plate, substan tially as described. Y

2. An insulated rail-joint, comprising a rail-chair for supporting the contiguous ends of rail-sections, having a bolt-supporting plate at one edge thereof, insulating material between the ends and said plate, said insulation extending to or near thetop of the boltsupporting plate and conforming tothe angle of the rail-chair, insulated blocks Aon 'each side of the rail-sections, a bolt or bolts extending through the insulating-blocks, rail, insulation and bolt-supporting plate, and an insulation foi the end of the bolt passing lIn testimony whereof I have signed my through the bolt-supporting plate consisting name to this specification in the presence of of e :metal flanged thimble, a bushing or insulation between the thimble and bolt and en insulationewasher on said bushing between the nut and flange of the metal tliimble, substantially as described.

two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE A. WEBER. Witnesses:

ERNEST HoPKiNsoN, W. LAIRD GoLDsoRoUGH. 

